Recruitment and Appointment Policy 1

Recruitment and Appointment Policy

1. Purpose

1.1 The Recruitment and Appointment Policy (the policy) outlines how UTS recruits and

appoints staff in support of the UTS 2027 strategy.

2. Scope

2.1 This policy applies to all staff and affiliates (hereafter staff) and the recruitment and

appointment of continuing, fixed-term, casual and temporary staff. It covers the

following recruitment methods:

• competitive recruitment (including expressions of interest)

• appointment of distinguished professors

• appointment by invitation (also known as direct appointment), and

• casual and temporary appointments.

2.2 This policy does not apply to:

• secondments or exchanges with other work areas or external organisations (refer

Staff Secondments and Exchanges Vice-Chancellor’s Directive)

• honorary awards or appointments (refer Honorary Titles and Awards Policy)

• academic promotions (refer Academic Promotions Policy)

• contractors engaged by UTS (refer Contractors (Staff Connect))

• Scholarly Teaching Fellowships (refer Enterprise agreements: Academic Staff

Agreement)

• volunteers (refer HR forms: Record of Volunteer Work (Staff Connect)).

2.3 Internships for UTS students are supported by a separate process by the Student

Services Unit (refer Internships (Staff Connect) and the Enterprise agreements:

Professional Staff Agreement).

3. Principles

3.1 Recruitment at UTS:

• aims to achieve a diverse and inclusive workforce and is informed by the Equity,

Inclusion and Respect Policy and Wingara Indigenous Employment Strategy

• is transparent, capable of withstanding scrutiny, evidence-based and free from bias

or conflicts of interest (refer Code of Conduct)

• uses objective criteria to identify suitably qualified candidates and ensure

candidates are capable of supporting and realising UTS’s strategy, values and

vision

Recruitment and Appointment Policy 2

• uses recruitment methods appropriate to the role type, requirements and needs of

the university

• acknowledges that retention and redeployment may form part of recruitment

considerations (for example in times of organisational change to retain institutional

knowledge)

• acknowledges the positive impacts that newly recruited staff bring to the university

(for example to enhance, replenish or refresh the workforce)

• adheres to relevant privacy and data management policies and legislation with

respect to the management of candidate information (refer Privacy Policy), and

• seeks to deliver a positive experience for all applicants in line with the university’s

values.

3.2 Appointments must be made without regard to a person’s sex, sexual orientation or

preference, gender, transgender status, race, colour, ethnic or ethno-religious

background, descent or national identity, marital status, pregnancy, potential

pregnancy, breastfeeding, family or carer responsibilities, disability, age, political

conviction or religious belief in line with the Equity, Inclusion and Respect Policy.

3.3 UTS recognises however that historic and ongoing disadvantage creates barriers to

employment for people in equity target groups. All hiring managers must take account

of the targets in the Wingara Indigenous Employment Strategy when determining

recruitment strategies. UTS will, where appropriate, use special measures such as

targeted recruitment programs to overcome this disadvantage. Refer Wingara

Indigenous Employment Strategy, Indigenous Employment and Recruitment for

diversity (SharePoint).

3.4 Recruitment and selection practices will protect and enhance the reputation of UTS in

the labour market.

3.5 UTS is committed to taking appropriate steps throughout the recruitment process to

mitigate any risk of improper interference.

4. Policy statements

Recruitment at UTS

4.1 UTS has four stages of recruitment:

1. Recruitment planning – what to consider when preparing to recruit

2. Recruitment methods – ways to identify and attract candidates

3. Candidate assessment and selection – how to review and assess applications and

select a candidate

4. Appointments, offers and feedback – seeking approval to make an offer of

employment.

4.2 This policy outlines the considerations, requirements and responsibilities under each

stage of the recruitment process and is supplemented by additional guidance available

at Recruiting and appointing staff (Staff Connect) and Preparing to recruit

(SharePoint).

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Stage 1: Recruitment planning

4.3 When preparing to recruit, hiring managers must contact the Human Resources

Recruitment Team (recruitment team) (details at Preparing to recruit (SharePoint)) to

discuss their recruitment needs, and refer to Recruiting at UTS (SharePoint) for

guidance and overview of the recruitment process.

4.4 To best meet recruitment needs, hiring managers should consider the nature and

requirements of the role as well as external and internal labour market conditions.

4.5 Hiring managers may consider both external and internal strategies when planning for

recruitment, including the following options:

• a competitive recruitment process in line with this policy, including expressions of

interest and use of executive search firms (refer stage 2 of this policy)

• appointment by invitation or direct appointment (as appropriate) or appointing

distinguished professors (refer stage 2 of this policy)

• use of casual (refer Enterprise agreements and Casual appointments (Staff

Connect)) or temporary appointments (via external supplier) (refer stage 2 of this

policy)

• a jointly funded appointment via strategic partnership with another organisation

(refer Jointly Funded Appointments Guidelines (PDF, Staff Connect) or contact the

recruitment team (details at Preparing to recruit (SharePoint))

• use of existing staff on a continuing, fixed-term or reversionary basis (for example

conversion of casual staff to fixed-term or continuing employment (in line with the

relevant Enterprise agreement))

• job redesign and evaluation of existing workloads (refer Job design and evaluation

(Staff Connect))

• relieving appointments or allocating additional duties to existing staff members

(refer Relieving appointments (Staff Connect))

• redeployment, secondment or exchange options (refer Staff Secondments and

Exchanges Vice-Chancellor’s Directive and Secondments and exchanges (Staff

Connect))

• other mechanisms created to enhance opportunities for staff to work on internal

projects and gain experience.

4.6 Hiring managers may designate that the position be filled by an equity target group

due to the inherent requirements of the role (refer Recruiting for diversity

(SharePoint)). This may be done to address:

• the strategic priorities in the Wingara Indigenous Employment Strategy

• the strategic priorities under Athena Swan, or

• underrepresentation (subject to relevant state and federal legislation and advice

from the Human Resources Unit (HRU) and the Centre for Social Justice and

Inclusion (CSJI)).

4.7 If the recruitment need is immediate and short term (no more than one year in

duration), and a suitable internal option cannot be identified, using recruitment agency

staff on a temporary basis may also be considered in line with this policy, the

Enterprise agreements and approved by the authorised delegate (refer Delegations).

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4.8 The recruitment method must be approved by the authorised delegate. Hiring

managers will then work with the recruitment team to develop a position description

and selection criteria (refer Position descriptions and position statements

(SharePoint)). Once the requirement for a new position has been approved by the

authorised delegate, hiring managers must create a vacancy in iRecruit (refer Creating

the vacancy (SharePoint)).

4.9 Hiring managers must form a selection panel to screen, shortlist and interview

candidates. Selection panels should be established as soon as a vacancy has been

approved for recruitment consistent with the requirements set out in Appendix 1 and

before moving to stage 2. The panel composition must be accurately recorded in

iRecruit.

4.10 In line with the university’s commitments under Athena Swan, hiring managers (and

panel members) (refer Appendix 1), prior to interviewing candidates:

• must complete (or have completed at least within the previous five years)

unconscious bias training and where appropriate cultural awareness training, or

• obtain an exemption from the dean/director (or the relevant member of the senior

executive where the dean or director is the hiring manager) in line with advice

available from Selection panels (SharePoint). This exemption is in addition to that

approved under statement 4.58.

Stage 2: Recruitment methods

4.11 UTS allows for the following recruitment methods as appropriate for the particular role

(and approved by the authorised delegate):

• competitive recruitment (including expressions of interest and executive search)

• appointment of distinguished professors

• appointment by invitation (also called direct appointment)

• casual appointment, and

• temporary appointment (via recruitment agency).

Competitive recruitment

4.12 Competitive recruitment is UTS’s preferred method for the recruitment of continuing

and fixed-term appointments. Where an alternative method is selected for these types

of appointment, the justification must be recorded in line with the Records

Management Policy.

4.13 Guidance on attracting candidates (via advertisement or other methods) is available at

Recruiting at UTS: Attracting candidates (SharePoint).

4.14 As part of a competitive recruitment process, all candidates are required to:

• apply for the position via a secure platform (for example iRecruit) by the application

closing date

• accept the university’s privacy statement

• address the selection criteria, and

• be advised of UTS’s workplace adjustment arrangements (refer Workplace

adjustment (Staff Connect)).

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4.15 Application closing dates will not normally be extended. Late applications will only be

accepted where there are extenuating circumstances and with prior approval from the

hiring manager. Late application requests, and/or approvals (including approval

details), must be appropriately recorded in line with this policy (refer Records,

confidentiality and conflicts of interest). Existing applicants must be notified and given

the opportunity to resubmit an application.

4.16 Where a competitive recruitment campaign has been unsuccessful, readvertising of

the vacancy will not take place until all applicants from the initial campaign have been

formally notified of the outcome of their applications.

4.17 When a position is approved for internal recruitment only, any potential external

recruitment will not take place until:

• the internal process has been concluded and all applicants have been notified of

an outcome, and

• an external recruitment process has been approved to start by the appropriate

delegate.

4.18 The use of executive search firms to manage a competitive recruitment process on

behalf of UTS must be undertaken in line with the Procurement Policy and must be

approved by:

• the Provost for all academic and academic manager positions, or

• the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Corporate Services) for senior staff group and

professional staff positions.

Appointment of distinguished professors

4.19 As UTS operates in a competitive environment, appointment of distinguished

professors by invitation or promotion may be used to secure (or retain) exceptional

academics (including researchers) in line with the university’s strategic priorities.

4.20 The process of appointing distinguished professors should take into consideration

university employment targets in relation to Indigenous staff (refer Wingara Indigenous

Employment Strategy) and for improving gender balance (refer Athena Swan).

4.21 Appointments of distinguished professors by promotion (internal candidates) are

approved by the Vice-Chancellor and managed in line with the Appointment of

Distinguished Professors Procedures.

4.22 Appointment of distinguished professors by invitation (external candidates) may make

use of a selection panel to consider the appointment as appropriate. The provisions of

this policy must be used as a guide to ensure an appropriate level of due diligence has

been undertaken and evidence must be provided (and recorded) of the outcomes of

the candidate assessment process.

Appointments by invitation (direct appointments)

4.23 Appointments by invitation (or direct appointments) may be considered in the following

circumstances:

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• In instances where specialist skills, knowledge or expertise are very limited or in

short supply for areas of strategic or reputational importance (meaning a

competitive recruitment process is unlikely to yield suitable candidates and it is

time critical to the delivery of positive recruitment outcomes).

• Where it is beneficial to minimise the impact of institutional change or restructure.

In this instance, redeployment or transfer to comparable roles will help to meet the

recruitment needs of emerging areas while retaining institutional knowledge (and a

competitive recruitment process would not elicit superior candidates). This may

include establishing a pool of affected staff for a limited period of time.

• In order to facilitate a staff member’s rehabilitation.

• Where a competitive recruitment process has been unsuccessful (with evidence

documented and available for review) and a review/comparison of the

advertisement text and approach has been undertaken.

• Where a competitive recruitment process has taken place within the last six

months for a comparable role and multiple candidates have been identified as

being appointable from the original process and all activity related to the original

recruitment process was documented and is available for review.

• Where there is no available evidence that a previous competitive recruitment

process has been undertaken, then the appointment must be classified as a direct

appointment.

• For casual appointments under 12 months (refer Casual appointments and use of

recruitment agencies).

• In other exceptional circumstances with the approval of the Provost or the Deputy

Vice-Chancellor (Corporate Services).

4.24 Appointments by invitation are approved by the Provost for academic roles or the

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Corporate Services) for senior staff group and professional

staff positions normally following consideration by a selection panel. The provisions of

this policy must be used as a guide to ensure an appropriate level of due diligence has

been undertaken and evidence must be provided (and recorded) of the outcomes of

the candidate assessment process.

4.25 Appointments by invitation should take into consideration UTS’s commitment to

excellence, social justice and achievement of equity targets (particularly in relation to

women in STEM and Indigenous candidates). Further information is available at

Recruitment options (SharePoint).

Casual appointments and use of recruitment agencies

4.26 Academic and professional staff appointments may be made on a casual basis in

order to address sudden increases in workload, regular work volume peaks or

seasonal increases in workload. Position descriptions are encouraged to facilitate any

future performance review processes. Casual appointments may be made in line with

the Enterprise agreements and the information provided at Casual appointments (Staff

Connect).

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4.27 Use of recruitment agency staff through recruitment agencies must be made via the

NSW Government Contingent Workforce Scheme and may be appropriate in situations

where:

• the role is short term

• the role remaining vacant impacts directly on the university’s ability to meet

strategic or operational targets or objectives and, as a result, must be filled quickly.

Stage 3: Candidate assessment and selection

4.28 Candidate assessment is the process of determining applicant suitability against the

selection criteria using a range of required and optional assessment methods.

Candidate assessment and selection processes must be rigorous, evidence-based,

transparent and free from bias.

4.29 The type and minimum number of selection methods used to assess candidates are

outlined at Assessing and shortlisting applications (SharePoint). Further guidance on

candidate assessment including long and short listing is available at Assessing your

candidates (SharePoint).

4.30 The selection panel (established in stage 1 and outlined at Appendix 1) will apply the

required selection methods and determine any additional methods to use based on the

position's selection criteria. Where technology solutions are used to assist with the

candidate assessment, the ultimate responsibility for decision-making remains with the

convenor and selection panel.

Interviews

4.31 Interviews are the primary selection method used at UTS and are mandatory for all

roles outlined at Assessing and shortlisting applications (SharePoint). Interviews

provide greater opportunity to build rapport and allow all parties to gather additional

information. Structured interviews must be used as part of a competitive recruitment

process or where an external recruitment supplier is engaged to provide candidates for

roles (other than temporary assignments). Further guidance on interview processes

and options is available at The interviews (SharePoint).

4.32 Panel interviews are recommended for appointments by invitation (direct

appointments) and appointments of distinguished professors by invitation where it

makes sense to do so. Normally a one-on-one interview will form part of these

recruitment processes.

References and due diligence

4.33 A minimum of two reference checks must be conducted for all continuing positions and

fixed-term roles, regardless of the method of recruitment. It is recommended that

reference(s) be conducted for casual roles where it is practical to do so and is

proportionate to the level of risk.

4.34 At least one reference check must be verbal. Other reference checks may be obtained

from a referee in writing. Where these reference checks are not addressed to the

hiring manager by name, then confirmation that the reference check is genuine must

be obtained and recorded by the hiring manger.

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4.35 The type and nature of the remaining reference checks is determined by the hiring

manager based on role duration, responsibilities and overall risk to the university.

Hiring managers must be satisfied that all references have been provided by the

individual nominated as referee. Refer References and other assessment options

(Share Point) and/or contact the recruitment team (details at Preparing to recruit

(SharePoint)) for further guidance on suitable referees.

4.36 Normally the hiring manager will undertake the reference checks. If this is not possible,

a member of the selection panel (who understands the role and its requirements) may

be nominated to undertake the reference checks. All reference checks must be

completed before a recommendation is made to the authorised delegate.

4.37 Screening and probity checks (where required) must be undertaken in line with

Background checks (SharePoint) in order to mitigate any risk to UTS. Enhanced

screening and probity checks must be undertaken for designated roles where, due to

the nature of a role, or its inherent requirements, there is additional risk to UTS. Such

checks are done for the purpose of maintaining the integrity of UTS’s operations and

activities.

Stage 4: Appointments, offers and feedback

4.38 On completion of the candidate assessment and selection processes, the panel, via

the convenor (or hiring manager), will make a recommendation to the authorised

delegate (refer Delegations) to appoint a candidate via iRecruit with all relevant

documentation (refer Making an offer (Staff Connect)).

4.39 The convenor must provide evidence (recorded in iRecruit) to the authorised delegate

outlining, against the selection criteria:

• why the candidate was considered suitable for appointment

• why the other interviewed candidates were not considered suitable for

appointment, and

• whether any other candidate was considered appointable (in the event the

recommended candidate declines the position).

4.40 The authorised delegate may approve the panel’s majority recommendation, authorise

further selection processes to take place (for example additional reference checks) or

reject the recommendation of the panel (providing justification).

4.41 Where a suitable candidate has not been identified by the panel, the convenor will

propose next steps and/or alternative recruitment methods for consideration by the

authorised delegate.

4.42 Any panel member (or other official observer) not satisfied with the selection process

may choose to inform the panel and submit a minority report to the authorised

delegate.

4.43 Hiring managers must discuss with the HRU remuneration team any remuneration

package that contains non-standard items (for example allowances) and receive

approval from the authorised delegate for salary rates and other terms and conditions

(for example performance-based pay, the issuing of visas, allowances) before any

Recruitment and Appointment Policy 9

discussions with the candidate (refer Enterprise agreements and Remuneration

(SharePoint)).

4.44 Verbal and/or written offers of employment (formal or informal) can ONLY be made

after formal approval by the authorised delegate in iRecruit and approval of

appropriate terms of appointment (Refer Making an offer (SharePoint)). Any offer

before formal approval is obtained is considered a breach of this policy.

4.45 Candidates must have the right to work in Australia in accordance with the

requirements of the Department of Home Affairs and the Migration Act 1958 (Cwlth). In

special circumstances, UTS may sponsor a candidate who does not have a right to

work in Australia (refer Visas and relocation (SharePoint)).

4.46 Requests for candidate sponsorship via available visas may be approved by the

authorised delegate after careful consideration of:

• the clear evidence that there are no suitable candidates with the right to work in

Australia

• the associated costs and visa processing time against the potential benefits of the

appointment

• availability of appropriate visas and any other conditions required by the

Department of Home Affairs, and

• the university’s obligation to comply with the regulatory environment (refer

International collaboration and engagement: Regulatory considerations

(SharePoint)).

4.47 The hiring manager must provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants on their

applications and/or performance during the selection process as soon as possible after

a recommendation to appoint a candidate has been accepted. Feedback should be

provided as:

Applicant category Action

External applicant – not interviewed

Inform the external applicant in writing that their application has been unsuccessful (actioned by the recruitment team via iRecruit).

Internal applicant – not interviewed

Inform the internal applicant verbally or in writing that their application has been unsuccessful, with an offer to provide feedback on their application.

External applicant – interviewed but not appointed

Inform the external applicant verbally or in writing of their interview outcome, with an offer to provide feedback on the application and performance at interview.

Internal applicant – interviewed but not appointed

Inform the internal applicant verbally of their interview outcome and offer to provide feedback on their application and performance at interview.

Recruitment and Appointment Policy 10

4.48 UTS may, at any time, rescind an offer of employment to a candidate who has:

• provided false or deliberately misleading information during the recruitment and/or

selection process, or

• behaved in a manner that contravenes the behavioural expectations or

requirements of the Code of Conduct and Equity, Inclusion and Respect Policy.

Records, confidentiality and conflicts of interest

4.49 To protect privacy and confidentiality, candidate information must only be provided to

the selection panel (including the Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion or Jumbunna

attendees), relevant recruitment team members and the authorised delegate. The

candidate’s consent must be obtained in advance if their information is to be shared

beyond this group (refer Candidate privacy (SharePoint)).

4.50 Collection, management, distribution and destruction of any candidate information

must be carried out in accordance with the Records Management Policy, Privacy

Policy (particularly for personal information) and Data Governance Policy. All staff

involved in the recruitment process must be aware of the requirements of these

policies. Advice should be sought from the recruitment team to ensure records created

and managed by an executive search firm on behalf of UTS are appropriately stored

and managed.

4.51 The UTS Recruitment Privacy Statement is publicly available on the UTS website.

Candidates may request access to information collected by the university during any

recruitment process. Further information is available at Your privacy at UTS.

4.52 Conflicts of interest are outlined in the Code of Conduct and, for the recruitment

process, managed by the hiring manager (or the convenor or relevant supervisor, as

relevant to the stage of recruitment) in line with the Code of Conduct and Appendix 1.

Appeals

4.53 Unsuccessful internal candidates may appeal only where there is an identifiable lack of

due process. The obligation to establish failure to follow the selection processes

outlined in this policy lies with the candidate. External applicants have no right to

appeal under this policy.

4.54 Appeals must be made in writing to the Director, Human Resources within seven days

of receiving written notification of the unsuccessful application with any additional

supporting documentation lodged within 14 days of receiving written notice of the

unsuccessful application.

4.55 The Director, Human Resources will appoint a person(s) not involved in the original

selection process to investigate the circumstances of the appeal and provide a report.

Based on the investigator’s report, the Director, Human Resources may decide to:

• reject the appeal

• request further investigations

• appoint a different selection panel to shortlist and/or interview all or some

candidates

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• quash the original selection decision and initiate a completely new selection

process.

4.56 Appeals for unsuccessful internal applicants for appointment of distinguished

professors by invitation are managed in line with the Appointment of Distinguished

Professors Procedures.

4.57 All staff and candidates involved in the appeals process must act in accordance with

the Code of Conduct and Equity, Inclusion and Respect Policy.

Policy exceptions, breaches and review

4.58 Any recommended recruitment or appointment that is an exception to provisions

outlined in this policy must have clear and identifiable strategic justification and must

be approved by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Corporate Services) in consultation with

the Provost. Exceptions must be formally reported to the Governance Support Unit and

recorded and filed under the file number for this policy.

4.59 Any temporary deviations to this policy must be justified and outlined in official

organisational change documents (approved by Council or the Vice-Chancellor as

appropriate) and approved only for the specified period of the change process. Any

deviating process or action must align with the principles of this policy and, for

academic staff, the Enterprise agreements.

4.60 Breaches of this policy are considered a failure to comply with the Code of

Conduct and will be dealt with under the code. This includes UTS’s right to notify a

relevant statutory authority and/or agency where there is a breach of legislation. Data

breaches will be managed in line with the Data Governance Policy and Privacy Policy.

4.61 Complaints that do not constitute an appeal under this policy should be made in line

with the Staff Complaints Policy.

4.62 Under UTS’s ‘do.review.improve’ cycle this policy will be reviewed every three years to

ensure compliance, effectiveness and transparency. Data from the staff complaints

process, the appeals process and feedback provided by hiring managers will be used

to guide further improvements to this policy and the recruitment process more

generally.

5. Policy ownership and support

5.1 Policy owner: The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Corporate Services) is responsible for

enforcement of and compliance with this policy, ensuring that its principles and

statements are observed. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Corporate Services) is also

responsible for the approval of executive search firms for professional and senior staff

and approval of any associated university level procedures and for approving

exceptions in consultation with the Provost. The Provost is responsible for approving

the use of executive search firms for all academic and academic manager positions in

line with this policy.

5.2 Policy contact: The Director, Human Resources is responsible for the day-to-day

implementation of this policy, and acts as a primary point of contact for advice on

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fulfilling its provisions. The Director, Human Resources is also responsible for the

appeals processes as outlined in this policy and for the development, approval and

publication of related guidance (normally via Staff Connect or SharePoint). Guidance

documents must comply with the requirements and conventions of this policy and the

procedures.

5.3 Others

The hiring manager has overall responsibility for the recruitment and selection process

as outlined in this policy.

Human Resources recruitment team (recruitment team) will guide hiring managers

through the recruitment and appointment process.

The convenor of the selection panel (who is normally the hiring manager) is

responsible for recruitment and selection processes as outlined in this policy.

Members of the selection panel will fulfil all recruitment and selection obligations as

outlined in this policy and Appendix 1.

6. Definitions

The following definitions apply for this policy and all associated procedures and guidelines.

These are in addition to the definitions outlined in Schedule 1, Student Rules.

Academic staff means all staff covered under the Academic Staff Agreement (refer

Enterprise agreements).

Affiliates is defined in the Code of Conduct.

Appointment means the appointment of a candidate to a role via any UTS recruitment

method.

Appointment by invitation (also direct appointment) means a method of recruitment and

appointment made directly to the candidate (or narrow group of candidates) either internal or

external without a competitive recruitment process. This is separate from the process of

appointing a distinguished professor by invitation.

Appointment of distinguished professors by invitation or promotion means the process

of appointing an exceptional or leading academic who is a specialist in their field. This may

be used as a recruitment (by invitation) or retention (by promotion) strategy. Appointments of

distinguished professors are approved by the Vice-Chancellor. All candidates for the title of

distinguished professors must meet the requirements outlined in the Appointment of

Distinguished Professors Procedures.

Authorised delegate means the individual identified in the relevant Delegations and/or this

policy who is responsible for decision-making and approvals.

Candidate (may also be called applicant) means an individual who has correctly applied for

an advertised position at UTS and/or has made it to the selection process and has been

shortlisted for consideration for a role.

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Casual staff means staff engaged in line with the relevant UTS Enterprise agreements.

Continuing appointment means an appointment of an indefinite period. A continuing

appointment is made where the nature of the work is ongoing.

Competitive recruitment means the process of advertising an approved role and asking

individuals to submit a job application. Competitive recruitment is managed by UTS in line

with this policy and the procedures and may be internal or both internal and external. Where

competitive recruitment is internal, this may be open to all university staff (including casual

and temporary staff) or via an expression of interest process (see below).

Convenor is the person responsible for coordinating the selection panel. Normally, the

convenor is the hiring manager. Where the convenor is not the hiring manager, the

recruitment team will support the convenor in undertaking necessary tasks on behalf of the

hiring manager (for example if the hiring manger has a conflict of interest).

Equity target groups are defined in the Equity, Inclusion and Respect Policy.

Executive search firm means a specific type of external recruitment agency that

specialises in sourcing high-quality candidates for senior and specialist roles. These firms

are paid on a retained basis to manage a competitive recruitment process on the university’s

behalf.

Expressions of interest (EOI) process means an internal competitive recruitment method

where staff from a defined school, faculty, centre or unit are invited to express interest in an

advertised role in line with this policy and the procedures. EOI must be managed in line with

a normal competitive recruitment process, including record management requirements. The

identified area to which EOI applications are open must be clearly communicated to

applicants.

External recruitment means the process of inviting or attracting people external to UTS to

apply for a position through a variety of mechanisms including general advertising,

recruitment sites, professional networks and equity target groups.

Fixed-term appointment means an appointment for a specified term or defined period as

specified in the relevant enterprise agreement.

Hiring manager means the staff member who will manage the recruitment and selection

process. The hiring manager will normally be the supervisor of the position to be filled and

act as the convenor of the selection panel (see also convenor).

Indigenous is defined in the Indigenous Policy.

Internal recruitment means the recruiting for an approved role open to UTS staff (including

casuals and temporary appointments) only.

Interviews mean the process of engaging or meeting directly with a candidate to assess role

suitability, knowledge, approach and value fit. Further guidance on interview processes and

options is available at The interviews (SharePoint).

iRecruit means the approved software package used by UTS for recruitment management

processes.

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Lack of due process means the failure of the selection panel to duly follow UTS policies.

Longlisting and shortlisting mean the processes of narrowing the potential list of

candidates by eliminating applicants who, based on their applications, do not meet the basic

key selection criteria and/or are ineligible to apply for the role (for example do not have a

right to work in Australia).

Minority report means a report presented by a selection panel member or other recruitment

official who disagrees with the appointment decision agreed by the majority of the panel.

Position descriptions (and academic position statements) means the details of a role

that articulate its requirements and responsibilities together with the skills, knowledge,

experience, qualifications and capabilities required. Position descriptions and academic

position statements (along with selection criteria) are required for both internal and external

recruitment and must comply with the values outlined in the Equity, Inclusion and Respect

Policy. For professional and senior staff positions, position descriptions inform the job

evaluation conducted by HRU that forms the basis of remuneration decisions.

Probity screening means background checks to ensure candidate suitability for the specific

requirements of a role or position at UTS. This can include a range of different checks on

history, activity and records. All checks must be conducted with the informed consent of the

applicant.

Professional staff means all staff covered under the Professional Staff Agreement (refer

Enterprise agreements).

Recruitment method means an approved mechanism for filling a vacancy at UTS in line

with this policy.

Reference check means the process of contacting previous employers, colleagues or

clients to gain more information about a candidate.

Relieving appointment means internal appointment or staff transfer for a fixed period,

normally up to 12 months. Relieving appointments may be made as:

• a temporarily vacant position that is made temporary for a variety of reasons, for

example an employee being absent on leave or secondment, or following a resignation

• a position that has been newly created on a fixed-term basis that is to be filled internally,

for example project work or planned staff development opportunity.

Right to work in Australia mean the following categories of person:

• Australian citizens

• Australian permanent residents

• New Zealand citizens who entered Australia on a current New Zealand passport and

were granted a visa with work entitlements on arrival

• non-Australian citizens holding a valid visa with work entitlements.

Screening refers to the process of assessing and then eliminating candidates who, based

on their written applications, clearly do not meet a substantial number of the key selection

criteria for the position or are otherwise ineligible to apply (for example do not have a right to

work in Australia).

Recruitment and Appointment Policy 15

Selection criteria means the list of skills, qualifications, attributes, knowledge and

experience required to successfully undertake a role. Selection criteria must:

• be clear, specific and relevant to the position

• be consistent with the position classification standards (refer Enterprise agreements)

• not favour either internal or external candidates

• not be excessive or overly prescriptive (as this may restrict the potential pool of

applicants, particularly when seeking to encourage applications from equity target

groups)

• not be changed once a position has been advertised.

Selection methods (also candidate selection methods) mean the techniques used to

choose a candidate from a group of shortlisted candidates. These include but are not limited

to interviews (in-person, phone or online interviews), work-sample tests, psychometric

profiling, presentations, provision of documentary tasks or evidence, stakeholder meeting,

job knowledge tests, case studies and situational reasoning tests. Required and optional

candidate selection methods are outlined at Assessing and shortlisting applications

(SharePoint). Choice of selection methods must protect the candidate’s confidentiality and

privacy, and not unfairly disadvantage external candidates or members of equity target

groups.

Selection panels mean the group of people who assist in the selection of a candidate to a

specific position for approval by the delegate (refer Appendix 1).

Senior staff positions means staff members who are covered by the Senior Staff Group

Collective Agreement (refer Enterprise agreements).

Staff is defined in the Code of Conduct.

Work sample test means a mock task or test that require candidates to simulate tasks that

are similar to the requirements of the specific role. Work sample tests must be designed to

test a candidate’s abilities and provide a demonstration of relevant skills. These may be

written, verbal, practical or a combination of these (for example drafting or editing a report,

providing an oral presentation, demonstrating IT, maths or language proficiency).

7. Approval information

Policy contact Director, Human Resources Unit

Approval authority Vice-Chancellor

Review date 2023

File number UR21/820

Superseded documents Recruitment and Appointment Vice-Chancellor’s Directive 2012 (UR12/1153)

Version history

Version Approved by Approval date Effective date Sections modified

1.0 Vice-Chancellor 26/07/2021 27/07/2021 New policy.

Recruitment and Appointment Policy 16

References

Appointment of Distinguished Professors Procedures

Casual appointments (Staff Connect)

Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion

Code of Conduct

Delegations

Department of Home Affairs

Enterprise agreements

Equal Futures: Athena Swan Bronze Award

Equity, Inclusion and Respect Policy

Indigenous employment

Jobs at UTS

Jointly Funded Appointments Guidelines (PDF, Staff Connect)

Migration Act 1958 (Cwlth)

Privacy Policy

Procurement Policy

Records Management Policy

Recruiting at UTS (SharePoint)

Staff Secondments and Exchanges Vice-Chancellor’s Directive

Recruitment and Appointment Policy 17

Appendix 1: Selection panel requirements

Panel member obligations

Panel members must adhere by the requirements of the Recruitment and Appointment Policy, Code of Conduct (the code) and Equity,

Inclusion and Respect Policy (and any other requirement identified by the convenor) in undertaking their duties.

Respect for a candidate’s privacy and appropriate confidentiality must be maintained by all panel members at all times. Panel members should

not discuss a candidate’s background and/or potential suitability for a role with any person outside the panel without the consent of the

candidate.

All panel members are required to complete unconscious bias training and cultural awareness training (as appropriate) before interviewing

candidates in line with UTS’s commitments under Athena Swan (contact the Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion for details). It is the

responsibility of the panel member to attend all required training. Requests for exemptions to sit as a member of a panel without having

completed the required training must be approved in line with the policy and recorded in the recruitment system in advance of interviews taking

place. Failure to obtain an exemption will be considered a breach of this policy. Panel members should utilise relevant online learning material

to support training provided by UTS.

Conflicts of interest must be managed in line with the code. Hiring managers and selection panel members must be aware of, disclose and

manage any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest as soon as the conflict is identified by submitting a conflict of interest disclosure

form (available at Staff conduct and responsibilities (Staff Connect)). Conflicts of interest must be managed by the hiring manager or the

convenor (where the convenor is not the hiring manager) in line with the code. If the hiring manger has the conflict of interest, this will be

managed by the relevant supervisor.

Panel members must provide feedback in a reasonable timeframe. Where panel members are unable to convene or provide input in a

reasonable timeframe, the convenor may move to replace selection panel members by agreement with the remaining members of the panel.

Panel composition requirements

Hiring managers will normally act as the convenor of the selection panel. Where the hiring manager cannot act as a convenor, another

convenor will be appointed in consultation with the Human Resources recruitment team.

Recruitment and Appointment Policy 18

Guidance on establishing selection panels is available from Selection panels (SharePoint).

Guidance on appropriate representation when establishing selection panels can be sought from Jumbunna and/or Centre for Social Justice and

Inclusion.

Selection panels will normally comprise three members, including the convenor, and are constituted by the convenor with regard to the

following:

• representative(s) who have relevant and sufficient expertise in the area of appointment

• representation of the supervisor and/or manager of the position being recruited

• representation from outside the work unit (for example from another faculty/unit or from business or industry) to ensure a broader view of

the process

• inclusion of people from diverse backgrounds, including equity targets groups, as appropriate to the circumstances (see below)

• declaration and avoidance of conflicts of interest

• gender balance, as per the below table.

Gender representation on selection panels

Three-member selection panel Maximum of two people of any one gender

Four-member selection panel Maximum of two people of any one gender

Five-member selection panel Maximum of three people of any one gender

Six-member selection panel Maximum of three people of any one gender

Indigenous representation on selection panels

For Indigenous-identified targeted recruitment, selection panels must include a minimum of one appropriate Indigenous panel member. In

circumstances where no appropriate Indigenous representative is available, a nominee of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Leadership and

Engagement) will be appointed as panel member. Candidates will be informed of additional representation and other support available.

In any circumstance where a panel does not meet the normal gender or diversity requirements, this must be documented (outlining all efforts

made by the convenor to achieve representation) and submitted for approval to the relevant dean or director (or to the Provost or Deputy Vice-

Chancellor (Corporate Services) where the dean or director is a panel member).

Recruitment and Appointment Policy 19

Selection panels for senior staff positions, may also include official observers, such as nominees of the Director, Human Resources, Director,

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion) and/or the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Leadership and

Engagement).

The composition of the selection panel must be recorded in iRecruit.

Recruitment and Appointment Policy 20

Academics and academic managers selection panels

Selection panels for the following academic and academic management position appointments will vary depending on the level of the position

being recruited for as set out below. This is in line with the policy and the Delegations.

The Provost may sit as a member of any academic or academic manager selection panels at any time.

Membership Appointment level

Dean Academic manager (SSG) Professor Associate professor Academic levels A-C

Provost

(Provost as convenor)

(Provost may appoint nominee)

Vice-Chancellor

(at own discretion)

The hiring manager (convenor)

Dean of faculty or nominee (if not the

hiring manager)

Recruitment and Appointment Policy 21

Membership Appointment level

Dean Academic manager (SSG) Professor Associate professor Academic levels A-C

Head of school/institute/centre (if not

the hiring manager)

Professor from outside UTS

UTS professor or associate professor

external to the faculty in which the

appointment is being made

UTS senior lecturer (or above), external

to the faculty in which the appointment

is being made

Dean from another faculty

Two staff appointed by the convenor

(from faculty academic, professional

and senior staff nominations)

Recruitment and Appointment Policy 22

Membership Appointment level

Dean Academic manager (SSG) Professor Associate professor Academic levels A-C

Academic manager from another faculty

or university

Academic manager from another school

or unit (within the faculty or another

faculty) or from another university

Any additional members appointed by

the Vice-Chancellor or Provost

Senior business/industry person

appointed by the convenor (as

appropriate)

Recruitment and Appointment Policy 23

Professional and senior staff group (non-academic) selection panels

Selection panels for the following professional and non-academic senior staff group appointments will vary depending on the level of the

position being recruited for as set out below, in line with the policy and the Delegations. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Corporate Services) may

sit as a member of any professional and non-academic staff group selection panel at any time.

Membership Appointment level

HEW1-HEW7 HEW8-SSG1 SSG2 and above

Vice-Chancellor

(at own discretion)

Hiring manager (convenor)

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Corporate Services) or

nominee

Dean (if faculty-based role)

Director of unit/institute/centre

(at own discretion)

Director external to the area

Faculty general manager (if faculty-based role)

Recruitment and Appointment Policy 24

Membership Appointment level

HEW1-HEW7 HEW8-SSG1 SSG2 and above

One staff member internal to the hiring unit/area (of

equivalent level or above)

One staff member external to the unit/area

Additional member(s) appointed at the discretion of the

convenor (internal or external to the unit/area)

Additional member(s) appointed at the discretion of the

Vice-Chancellor